Sauteed Cabbage

So this is the easiest recipe ever, like so easy its not really a recipe. But its delicious and we've been obsessed with it for months so its getting posted. Now, I know that sauteed cabbage doesn't sound super divine or anything, but we have it about twice a week and it always leave me wanting more.

Before I post the recipe I have to come clean.... This isn't my recipe at all. Like not even a little bit. It's 100% Mark's creation through and through, and boy it sure is a good one.

Cheap, easy, and tasty, what more do you want in a side dish? Not to mention it counts as a serving of veggies ;).

Sauteed Cabbage

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

1/2 head of cabbage, chopped

1/3 onion, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons oil (I LOVE it with coconut oil)

Salt to taste (at least 1 teaspoon)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once oil is hot lower temperature of burner to medium-low setting.

Add onion and cabbage, stir to coat, the IMMEDIATELY add salt. ( <------ Mark says this is a vital step). DON'T SKIP.

Stir everything again and let cook until cabbage is soft and semi-translucent, about 15-20 minutes.

Put on plates and serve.

Enjoy :)

See, I told ya this wasn't even really a recipe.

Non-translucent cabbage

Semi-translucent cabbage

Puppy Chow

Waaaaay back in October or November I asked some coworkers for suggestions for snacks they would like me to make. Someone asked for puppy chow and finally, 6 months later I'm getting around to making it for her.

I know the recipe is pretty standard but I'm crediting myself with it because I didn't research one to go off. Besides, I doubt many recipes call for refrigerating the mix overnight and adding extra powdered sugar in the morning. Not to mention I put this recipe in the "healthy" category because I made it without butter or oil. Winner.

My "taster" bowl

Regardless, this stuff is dangerously addicting. You've been warned.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

This is the kind of dinner you're thankful for turning out. This is the kind of dinner that you pull out of your ass because its 7 o'clock and all you have in front of you is thawed shrimp. This is the kind of dinner that makes you want to blog it for the next time your ill prepared.

I know this isn't anything new or inspired, but its just what we needed after a long day. Not to mention, it was the perfect dish to break in our new 12 inch All-Clad skillet!

Isn't she a beauty?

Retail price: $180.

Store price: $99.

Final price after using $50 gift card: $57.

Who's winning at life now Charlie?

I'm done now.

Chocolate - Peanut Butter Oatmeal (Stovetop Version)

Want a breakfast that tastes a whole lot like a no-bake cookie? I'm talking the ones that pop up around Christmas time and consist of oats, cocoa powder, butter, peanut butter, and sugar. Those have always been one of my favorites. So imagine my delight when I unexpectedly bit into its breakfast-y doppelgänger after making up measurements of ingredients in my head hoping for something edible. 

I like to think this version is a bit healthier, as it contains just a smidgen of oil (its optional at that) and not too much sugar. I was in a hurry, so I used pb2 (powdered peanut butter) instead of regular peanut butter. You can certainly use regular peanut butter, it will probably just be a little harder to incorporate. Dollops of peanut butter floating around a bowl of hot oats? Nothin' wrong with that!

Just as a side note: the longer you let it sit, the thicker it gets but its delicious either way.

Chocolate - Peanut Butter Oatmeal (Stovetop Version)

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 cup milk of choice (I used Almond Breeze: Almond Coconut. Has anyone else tried it? Addicted, I am!)

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup oats

2 tablespoons pb2*

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon coconut oil, optional

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

Combine milk and salt in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Once it starts boiling add oats, pb2, cocoa powder, and coconut oil; stir to combine.

Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until desired consistency. Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup.

Pour into a bowl and serve.

Enjoy :)

If you want a more peanut butter-y oat breakfast, check this recipe out!

Gingerbread Oatmeal

Just when I thought nothing would ever top my double dark chocolate-peanut butter oatmeal...

I was looking for something "Christmas-y" but healthy to make for breakfast Christmas morning.  Something sweet, but with a different flavor profile from all the holiday cookies I had been baking, when it occurred to me that I had yet to bake anything gingerbread related. Immediately I googled "gingerbread breakfast" and got a hit for gingerbread pancakes. While those sounded amazing, they also sounded more time consuming than desired after a run. Quickly remembering that oatmeal is one of my favorite foods ever I googled "gingerbread oatmeal" hoping for a recipe to at least get me started, seasonings wise.  

And oh boy, did I ever hit the jack pot! I only deviated slightly from the recipe I found online but don't want to be one of those people who review recipes but  I didn't prepare the oatmeal as specifically stated. Regardless, my version turned out absolutely divine and I have no doubt the original is just as tasty.

Sound the alarm. We have a new favorite oatmeal recipe here folks.

Gingerbread Oatmeal
Adapted from here

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups milk of choice

1 1/2 cups thick cut oats

1 tablespoon coconut oil

5-6 tablespoons maple syrup

2 teaspoons black strap molasses

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Bring milk and salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once boiling add everything else, stirring to combine well.

Bring back to a boil then reduce heat to low.

Cook until desired thickness, stirring often. This will take about 3-5 minutes.

Remove from heat, divide between bowls, and serve.

Enjoy :)

Chocolate Milk For One

This here is just a quick little recipe that I adapted from a recipe I saw on pinterest a couple weeks ago for homemade Nesquik. I thought it would be a fun project because we love chocolate milk around here, but hate that most brands are made with HFCS. I know there are brands out there that are made with sugar, but this recipe is easy enough to make at home and allows you to adjust the final result according to taste.

My first attempt of this recipe came after a trip to the grocery store in which we purchased some chocolate milk. Naturally we wanted to drink it right away, but I just couldn't get over the first ingredient being HFCS so I quickly threw this together without checking the OG recipe. All I remembered what that there was twice as much sugar as cocoa powder. I took a sip and thought it was pretty good so I handed it off to Mark.

"You're about to ruin chocolate milk for me aren't you?" he said before taking a sip.

He thought it was pretty darn good (and yes, better than the store bought), but needed more cocoa powder. So for the glass I made for myself I doubled the cocoa powder and cut back on the sugar. After tasting the second attempt, we both agreed that it was delicious.

Mark likes his exclusively with cows milk, but I think its amazing with Almond Breeze coconut-almond milk. With either milk this mixture creates an extremely rich, chocolately drink which can and should be enjoyed hot or cold.

I just love the color of the drink. It reminds me of the hot chocolate machine on The Santa Clause (my favorite Christmas movie) and how creamy it came out.

This one is definitely a keeper.

Chocolate Milk For One
Adapted from here

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 cup milk of choice

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1-2 tablespoons sugar

pinch of salt, optional

Directions:

Mix together cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a small container and set aside. Warm 1/4 cup of milk in the bottom of a mug in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

Pour cocoa powder mixture into warmed milk and stir until powder has dissolved.

Pour remaining 3/4 cup of milk into mug and mix well.

Enjoy :)

Oatmeal Two Ways: One Savory, One Sweet (Travel Friendly)

This past weekend Mark and I had the pleasure of having a little getaway. While we had looked forward to this getaway, I was a little worried about finding something filling and nutritious with the continental breakfast provided at the hotel. Sure, we could have gone out for breakfast, but it made financial sense to take advantage of the meal provided. Besides, having one healthy meal a day negates all the other unhealthy (but delectable) food I ate for the rest of the trip, right? Challenge: Accepted.

Anywho, getting back to my quest of finding a hidden gem in the enriched white flour, HFCS laden breakfast options available....

The first morning we awoke 30 minutes before breakfast ended so we hurried down to find a very limited quantity of items left. Mark chose a bowl of Fruit Loops and a waffle, which I nibbled on as well (oh, nostalgia). As for me, I immediately noticed the fruit bowl filled with oranges and apples. Given I eat approximately 1,468 apples a week, I switched it up and went with an orange. But the important part of this fruit bowl story is that it gave me notice to my saving breakfast grace for the next three days: instant oatmeal.

Now normally, I am strictly a thick cut oats kind of girl but sometimes compromises are needed. I grabbed two of the original flavored packets and simultaneously had a stroke of genius. Remembering that I just so happened to pack a couple gingerbread flavored tea bags (obsession of the moment) and some stevia packets I raced up to my room and grabbed a tea bag and a stevia packet. The stevia packet isn't necessary since they usually have sugar packets readily available.

This trifeca of ingredients created the sweet version of the two oatmeal recipes I am excited to share with you today.

Hotel Breakfast Style Gingerbread Oatmeal

Serves 1

Ingredients:

2 packets of unflavored instant oatmeal

1 1/4 cups hot water

1 gingerbread flavored tea bag

1/2-1 packet sweetener of choice

Directions:

Steep tea bag in hot water for 5-10 minutes (peel and eat orange during this time).

Remove tea bag and add packets of oatmeal. Stir to dampen oats and place in microwave for 1-1:30 minutes.

Remove from microwave and stir in sweetener packet.

Enjoy :)

Muffin Frittatas (3 Kinds!)

Now that I work outside the home having quick, healthy breakfasts readily available has become essential. I no longer have 30 minutes to make something every morning, so I have started prepping meals on Sundays while watching football. This recipe is a take off the english muffin breakfast sandwiches I posted awhile ago, except these include all the vegetables and meat right in one package. This makes is really convenient because all I have to do is toast an english muffin, slice some cheese, throw one of these muffin frittatas in between and I'm good to go.

I made 3 different kinds of frittatas here: 1 only sausage (for Mark), 2 just vegetables and black beans, and 4 with everything. Having these different varieties will help from getting bored throughout the week. As for the range in the servings section, it all depends on how you are planning to enjoy these bad boys. Obviously having one with an english muffin or a bowl of cereal is plenty, but if you don't have time I would recommend eating 2 or 3 with a piece of fruit for a full meal.

Muffin Frittatas

Serves 3-7

Ingredients:

1/2 cup kale, chopped

1/4 cup broccoli florets, chopped

1/2 carrot, diced

1/2 bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/4 pound sausage

1/3 cup black beans

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop up all the vegetables and onion, set aside. Heat a little bit of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add vegetables and onion and cook until vegetables are soft.

In a different pan cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Spray 7 slots of a muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Scramble eggs and milk in a bowl. Place sausage into the bottom of 5 slots of the muffin pan. Spoon vegetable mixture equally into 5 or 6 slots and distribute black beans into all 7 slots. Pour egg and milk mixture into each slot to fill 3/4 way.

Place pan in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully fork out muffin frittatas. Allow to cool and then store either in the fridge or freezer for on-the-go meals.

Enjoy :)

Caramelized Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Quinoa

As much as I love having oatmeal or egg sandwiches for breakfast, every once in a while, like this past weekend, I want something different. The answer to this problem came rather easily as Mark and I both found the same recipe to try.

Since the recipe combined our favorite grain (quinoa) and our favorite fruit (apple) it seemed like a great thing to try. However, we didn't have the raisins or the nuts that the recipe called for so we tweaked it ever so slightly to work with what we had on hand.

We really enjoyed the end result, but agree that it is better topped with the warmed milk. This dish was a light but filling diversion from our breakfast routine that I am sure we will make again.

Ingredients needed

Quinoa boiling

Apples caramelizing

Mine topped with almond milk and maple syrup

Caramelized Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Quinoa
Adapted from here 

Serves 2

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup dry quinoa

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided

1/2 cup applesauce (homemade or unsweetened)

1 small apple, diced

1 teaspoon coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

warm milk*, optional

maple syrup, optional

Directions:

Combine quinoa, water, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, and lower heat to simmer for about 15 minutes or until quinoa is done.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and turn heat to low. Core and dice apple, then add to the brown sugar mixture. Cook on low for 5 minutes or until apples are starting to get tender.

Divide quinoa equally between two bowls. Top with 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon each. Add apples and serve hot.

Mix and top with warmed milk and maple syrup, if desired.

Enjoy :)

*Notes:

Use non-dairy milk, such as almond or soy, to make vegan friendly.

Sweet Potato Hash For One

3-lb bags of sweet potatoes were on sale at the grocery store the other week, naturally I bought it. Then we got super busy being that it was Restaurant Week and all, to make a long story short come Friday we still had a 3-lb bag of sweet potatoes to use up....

This recipe is a product of that predicament.

Fried potatoes with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes topped with an egg... Yes, its just as good as it sounds. Add a little cayenne pepper and the dish becomes especially appreciated after a run in 20 degree weather. It was flavorful and the epitome of fall eating.

Make it. Now.

Wish I would have taken a picture while it was still in the pan

Well I am off to think of other ways to live off sweet potatoes for the upcoming week. Having to come up with ways to use up sweet potatoes, feel bad for me please :).

Sweet Potato Hash For One
Adapted from here

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 small sweet potato, cubed

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped

1 roma tomato, chopped

1 egg

sprinkle of cayenne pepper

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes & onions, cover, and cooked until soft.

Uncover and add mushrooms, bell pepper, tomato, cayenne, salt & pepper. Cook for 5 minutes more or until mushrooms and bell pepper are soft.

Make a hole in the middle of the pan and crack an egg into it, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes more until the whites are set.

Carefully plate and serve.

Enjoy :)

Tempeh Spring Rolls with Pseudo Peanut Sauce

A couple weeks ago we went out to eat at a Thai restaurant which had spring rolls on their appetizers menu, we didn't order any but I had been thinking about/craving ever since. Fast forward to last weekend when strolling through the aisles of the grocery store I came across spring roll wrappers. Having never used them on top of my unusual yearning for spring rolls meant only one thing: I was buying the wrappers and would attempt to make my own, with a fail-safe meal in mind of course.

I looked at a couple recipes online but decided to just use what I had on hand and hope for the best. I sliced up some raw vegetables and tempeh (which I marinated) and then came the fun part: figuring out the magical powers a little warm water has on a rice paper wrapper! Seriously, I pulled out the dry wrappers and thought for sure I was going to crack them and the rolls would just fall apart, but after dipping them in water for 10 seconds they were instantly rip-proof and semi-flexible. So one by one I dipped, filled, and folded until all my rolls were done. It was THAT easy.

Ingredients

(Partially) Whole Wheat Herb Drop Biscuits

Remember that lentil soup recipe I posted a few days ago mentioning some drop biscuits that accompanied the meal? Well they were a huge hit with both Mark and me, like made-the-meal kind of hit. So I thought I would post the recipe.

I ate mine by placing it at the bottom of my bowl and pouring the soup on top while Mark enjoyed his with butter and honey. Obviously we are two very different individuals.

Welcome back Fall, when I bit into these biscuits it made me think I actually missed you.

(Partially) Whole Wheat Herb Drop Biscuits
Adapted from here

Makes 12 biscuits

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

5 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons herbs of choice (I used 1 tsp ground thyme, 1.5 tsp basil, 1.5 tsp oregano)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

5 tablespoons cold butter cut into chunks*

1 cup milk of choice*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray.

Mix together flour, baking powder, herbs, salt, and garlic powder in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.

Using your hands cut butter into flour mixture until well incorporated (you can use a pastry knife, I just don't have one).

Add milk to bowl and stir until sticky dough forms.

Drop 12 equally sized (about 1/4 cup each) chunks of dough onto baking sheet.

Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until your home "smells like pizza dough" as Mark enthusiastically stated.

Serve with soup, butter, eggs, etc. Store any leftovers in an airtight container, but use as soon as possible.

Enjoy :)

Notes:
*Obviously use vegan butter and non-dairy milk to make these vegan.

Basic Lentil Soup

Now that fall has arrived full force here in the midwest my body is in soup-desire overdrive. There hasn't been a day in the last week that I haven't had an aching for some kind of soup. A couple days ago I wanted a light lentil soup and came up with this not-so-imaginitive recipe, but hey its exactly what I was looking for. Served with some drop biscuits, butter, and honey my rather boring soup became infinitely more swoon-worthy.

I would highly suggest serving this soup with a more calorie dense add-on as it is, albeit healthy, extremely low in the calorie department. So get everything simmering, make yummy Panera-like sandwiches, and in 30 minutes time you will have a body-warming meal on the table.

Served with aforementioned biscuits

Basic Lentil Soup

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

4 cups broth of choice

1 cup water

1 cup dry green lentils, picked over and rinsed

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrot, chopped

1/8-1/4 cup salsa (or a can of diced tomatoes)

4 teaspoons of your favorite herbs (I used basil, oregano, and thyme)

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper

Directions:

Bring broth and water to a boil in a large stock pot over medium heat.

While liquid is heating chop carrots & onion and mince garlic cloves. Once broth is boiling stir all remaining ingredients into pot.

Bring everything back to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer.

Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes, or until carrots are soft.

Serve with a side salad and bread.

Enjoy :)

Spicy Meatloaf With Sweet-Spicy Glaze (Individual Size!)

I like to think I'm pretty in tune with my body and her needs. But every once in awhile she throws me a curve ball. One of those curve balls happened the other day when I woke up craving meatloaf. Having a craving so specific is nothing weird to me, I never crave "something sweet" or "something crunchy". No, when my body wants needs something she is always very good at telling me exactly what it is. And most of the time I understand. When she said "I need a big, juicy bison burger topped with the works" earlier this summer I thought to myself "who doesn't need more bison in their life", this past weekend she screamed "Sebastian Joe's for some Chocolate Coyote" and we were there 30 minutes later.

But lets just get one thing straight: I hate meatloaf. The girl who had to be dragged to the table whenever meatloaf was announced for supper, who subsequently drowned each and every piece in HFCS-laden ketchup? Yep, that was me.

Needless to say I was caught off guard when the craving hit, and I tried to ignore it. As the day went on however, I just couldn't get meatloaf out of my head. So I caved.

Worst case scenario? I would end up eating a bowl of cereal *shucks*. I was willing to take the risk.

After a little research into meatloaf recipe basics I jotted down some additions to try to give the dish a chance of being somewhat enjoyable for me. I went with the spicy-sweet combination and added some collard greens (any greens would do) as adding vegetables to any dish automatically raises it 10 points in my book. Since I only had 1/2 lb of ground turkey to work with I divvied up the mixture among three ramekins and topped each with a spruced up ketchup glaze. After a short time in the oven the apartment smelled so good I almost forgot I was making meatloaf.

Spicy Three Cheese Quinoa

Quinoa is Superfood (the superhero of foods). The flavor options seem to be endless and the nutrition profile gets an A+ in my book. Now that we got that out of the way let's talk about what I did with quinoa over the weekend for lunch.

I added cheese.

And garlic & onion.

And vegetables.

And adobo sauce.

Did I mention cheese?

The end result was creamy with a little bit of a kick (thanks to the adobo). The veggies added a little texture to give some life to the tiny beads of quinoa; chicken or hot dogs would work nicely as well. Or bacon. No judgement here. If you don't like spice, leave out the adobo sauce and if you don't have any adobo on hand use red pepper flakes.

Thanks to the quinoa and cheese this dish was filling and satisfying. Next time I am going to put some breadcrumbs on top and bake it for awhile.

Yum.

Spicy Three Cheese Quinoa

Serves 2 as a main course for lunch / 4 as a side for lunch or dinner

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry quinoa

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp olive oil

1/8 cup milk

1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2-4 tablespoons grated romano cheese, divided

2 tsp adobo sauce

salt & pepper to taste

1/8 cup finely chopped carrot, optional

1/4 cup chopped broccoli, optional

1/4 cup chopped kale, optional

Directions:

Rinse quinoa and cook according to package, set aside.

While quinoa is cooking, chop onion and veggies, mince garlic, and shred cheese if needed.

Heat olive in a skillet over medium heat, add onion and garlic, and allow to cook until fragrant (about 2-3 minutes).

Add veggies to skillet and turn burner to low.

In the meantime combine milk, cheddar, mozzarella, and 1/2 of romano in a small sauce pan over low heat. Stir occasionally until everything is melted, then lightly salt & pepper cheese sauce.

Check vegetables and make sure they are soft, then add then to the cheese mixture stirring to combine.

Stir in adobo sauce and taste, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

Stir in quinoa and mix well. Turn up burner heat to medium and allow to cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Divide evenly between two bowls and sprinkle with the remaining romano cheese.

Enjoy :)

Spicy Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Last week ended up being crazy busy for us, as I had to be downtown 3 days in a row unexpectedly. I barely had a second to breathe let alone plan dinner, so the slow cooker was dusted off about a week earlier than expected. Not that I minded spending 15 minutes in the morning to coming home to a wonderfully smelling kitchen.

One of the things I made in the crock pot, besides this delicious chili, was "baked" sweet potatoes. All I had to do was wrap them in foil, throw them in the crock pot, turn on low, and come home with a ravenous stomach and a plan for a quick meal! Have I given thanks to the slow cooker Gods yet?

On the bus ride home I had come up with an idea for the sweet potatoes that involves semi-gutting then re-stuffing them with a tex-mex mixture (a lot like stuffed zucchini or squash). Given my love for the sweet potato/black bean combination and my craving for spice I jotted down a hodgepodge of ingredients I thought would go well with the bean and potato base.

Its basically a "dry" chili with tons of flavor. Now I know this recipe isn't revolutionary in any sense, but it was new to us and ready in about 20 minutes. Mission accomplished.

You could use the mixture as a side dish, filling for a vegetarian burrito, or maybe a sweet potato hash! Oh the ideas that went through my mind as I devoured mine.

Baked Banana Bread French Toast

Now that you have the recipe for my banana bread you can make baked banana bread french toast! At first Mark was iffy about using banana bread as the base, but after one bite he became a believer.

Getting my bread sliced

Ready for the oven

Time to dig in

This was a great breakfast: a comfort dish without being too hard on the body.

And that banana bread? Gets better and better every time I take a bite.

Baked Banana Bread French Toast

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

4 slices banana bread

1 egg + 1 egg white

1/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

dash of salt

Directions:

The night before, leave the bread out to get stale.

The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a bowl big enough to hold everything mix together eggs & egg whites, milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt.

Break apart banana bread into bite size pieces and submerge in egg mixture; set aside.

In a small dish melt butter and mix in brown sugar.

Spray two 1-cup ramekins with cooking spray.

Pour banana bread batter evenly into ramekins and pour brown sugar mixture on top.

Place in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve hot with toppings of choice.

Enjoy :)

Recipe Review: Quinoa Black Bean Burrito Bowls

So much yum!

Sometime last week I received an email from Mark's sister with a few recipes attached. This is a semi-regular occurrence between the two of us and I always get really excited because we seem to have the same philosophy on food: healthy without sacrificing flavor.

Two of the recipes were ideas for fall apples, one was for a chicken salad, and the other was for a black bean and quinoa burrito bowl. I knew right away that I wanted to try the burrito bowl first; it just called to me like all other mexican style dishes. So I soaked a huge batch of black beans and cooked them up the next day.

Other than using fresh black beans instead of canned I followed the directions exactly topping ours with fresh tomato, greek yogurt, and guacamole. Yum! Being as its the burrito filling without the wrap I thought I would miss the tortilla but I was wrong. Mark didn't even complain! It doesn't need anything else. Both of us just loved it.

Seriously... Make. This Tonight. It's definitely a winner.

Head on over to The Shiksa in the Kitchen for the recipe.

One last bad picture

Beet & Tofu Burgers

This dish just kind of worked. It was completely experimental to the point where I had a backup plan of scrambled eggs if a disaster ensued. You see, Mark's sister had given us some produce from her garden and one of those items happened to be beets. Up to this point I had never had a beet in my refrigerator and had only recently introduced them to my palate. The beets longingly stared at me for four days from the second shelf of the refrigerator before I decided it was time to have a go at creating something with them.

I almost immediately knew what I wanted to do with the beets, make a plant burger. This might have been because my most recent encounter with them had been in this form and was an enjoyable experience. After scoping out the kitchen I noticed some tofu that was in desperate need of being used before getting forgotten. I started doing a little research and went off that to help brainstorm my own version of a plant burger. Since veggie burgers tend to be mushy enough as it is I pressed the tofu and cooked up some rice (I don't know what the rice does but many of the recipes I looked at used some). Throughout the rest of the afternoon I wrote down my incoherent thoughts until I came up with something that looked like it had a chance of being edible and maybe even slightly pleasant.

I got to work chopping, sautéing, and food processing my burger patty mixture. After the patties were formed I threw them in the freezer in hopes of firming them up a bit. This didn't work but it was worth a shot. Then I fried them up, threw them on buns topped with cheese, greens, and condiments and dug in.

My Favorite Breakfast Sandwich (For Now)

My Monday-Friday breakfast is usually one of two things: cold oatmeal or an egg sandwich. Both are extremely easy to make, delicious, and fill me up after my workout.

One day I will get around to posting the cold oatmeal recipe (maybe when I don't prep it at 11:00 pm I will remember to take pictures!), but for today it will be an egg sandwich that I seriously can not get enough of. It has cheese, vegetables, avocado, and garlic smushed between two slices of bread.

There are endless possibilities for twists you could make on this sandwich to turn it into your own. It's also one of those recipes you could make a couple servings of ahead of time for on-the-go meals.

It's delightful! I hope you agree.